Vivid Images that depict the blood curdling reality of the dead & starving evicted Irish Of the famine period painted by Newry Folk artist Oliver Curran are in demand, so much so that he can't cope with them. His work is currently on display at the Irish art Exhibit In Philadelphia's Franklin Mint Museum Gallery until the 17th of October, it then goes on to New York, for the first of 2 Exhibits to be held there before Christmas. Oliver will take some of local abstract artist Joseph Mullans work , with the hope of slipping into to a show somewhere along the road. The artist will host the biggest of his two Exhibits In the U.S , in person. His invitation for this particular Venue had an all expenses paid tag attached and is to be held at Fitzpatrick's Hotel, downtown Manhattan,from 5th to 9th Dec , this will be the artist's first one man show outside of Ireland.

World wide Interest in the artist's work came to a high earlier this Year when the he was informed that he was one of 4 Irish artists selected in a global search by Stephanie Broadbent, Editor Of London Publishers Hutchingsons Books. The companys search for an Illustrator's for their new Irish Fairy Tales Book, due to be released next year, led to the Newry man because of his figure painting skill's, and especially those of children at play. Last months artist of the month at http://www.celticart.com/ ,Oliver is currently featured artist of the month at
http://www.2river.com/ U.S.A. Closer to home his work can be found at the Wexford Opera Festival later this month, this Oliver's second invitation to the Festival in two successive years. An invitation received only this week from Art selectors in Italy and Galway has the artist's head in a spin.

"I can't work wonders, If all's going well I could hopefully paint a picture every 4-5 weeks, not prolific enough for all the exhibitions being offered to me. I cant believe the escalation of Interest in my picture's. This Invitation from Italy is icing on the cake, they selected me from the Internet and sent me an Invitation to exhibit, my selection being their directors decision. Stuff like this only happens in dreams. It's amazing but good that there's so much interest in our Famine past history, people will not be allowed to forget it with the likes of me around. My pictures of eviction, and emigration show the horrors inflicted on our ancestors by the land Lords and their helpers, amazement is expressed at some of my pictures where I depict the dead and farmer's being beaten with rifle butts by the Black and Tans, I paint nothing that wasn't true, and in some cases still true. As my art advances it is getting more complex and in some ways a little abstract. These new and in a lot of ways political pictures are I feel attracting the growing interest towards my art. In a news letter recently I was referred to as being some what like Marc Chagall, an artist I never heard of. Now that I've seen his work I wish I could agree, but one day I may reach the same status, finger's crossed."